In a landmark ruling, East Week magazine has been publicly lambasted for invading the privacy of a celebrity family by publishing photos.
The Press Council publicly condemned the magazine yesterday after making a ruling last week.
The council ruling said East Week invaded the privacy of businessman Patrick Leung Ting-cheong, his wife, former beauty queen Isabella Kau Hung-ping, and their daughter when the magazine published in its July edition pictures of the family inside their flat in Kennedy Road.
Leung filed a complaint in July against the magazine, which is not a member of the council - a non-statutory self-regulatory group of media professionals and community figures who handle people's complaints against publications.
The condemnation also attacked the magazine for breaching guidelines on journalists' ethics.
The images taken over various days in July showed the family behind partially closed blinds in their flat, which was above ground level in an eight-storey building. The photos were published with explanatory captions and a report.
The pictures, believed to have been taken with a telephoto lens, showed the couple having a conversation that the report said was about a criminal case involving Leung, who was arrested for rape in June. He was freed unconditionally last month.